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Hebei Spirit oil spill exposure and acute neuropsychiatric effects on residents participating in clean-up work.
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Jin Hee Eum, Hae Kwan Cheong, Mina Ha, Ho Jang Kwon, Eun Hee Ha, Yun Chul Hong, Ye Yong Choi, Woo Chul Jeong, Jong Il Hur, Seungmin Lee, Eun Jung Kim, Eun Hee Lee, So Young Lee Ahn, Jong Hun Kim
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Korean J Epidemiol. 2008;30(2):239-251. Published online December 31, 2008
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/kje.2008.30.2.239
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES
Hebei Spirit oil spill accident has brought about the worst coastal oil contamination in Korean history.
Following the accident, residents and volunteers, number exceeding a million from nationwide, were exposed to chemicals from the crude oil itself and dispersants, including volatility organic compounds (VOCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and heavy metals through the clean-up works over months. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of clean-up work on the peripheral nerve function and psychologic status of the residents after a prolonged exposure to clean-up work after the oil spill exposure.
METHODS We performed a study on the residents of Jango-do Island, Chungnam, on 5 and 12 January 2008, six to eight weeks after the accident. A questionnaire on general characteristics, Korean Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI), color vision test (Lanthony desaturated D-15 test), and vibration perception threshold test were done. Among 210 residents with 30 years or older, 63 (30%) finished questionnaires and completed at least one among K-BDI, color vision test, or vibration perception threshold test.
Descriptive statistics was done on the residents.
RESULTS The residents participated in clean-up work for average 20 days, max 30 days, during 6 weeks following the accident. Average work hours were 7.4 hours per day, max 10 hours. On K-BDI, 21 (33.3%) had a severe depressive state.
Mean color confusion index was 1.29 in the right and 1.20 in the left. Mean vibration perception threshold was 3.69 VU (right) and 3.55 VU (left), respectively.
DISCUSSIONS AND CONCLUSIONS: Compared to literature report, the residents had higher depression scale. Color vision threshold was not higher compared to general population near an industrial complex. Vibration perception threshold was significantly higher than the residents of similar age living near an abandoned mine in southern coastal area only in the age group of forties. These suggests there is some evidence of neuropsychiatric effect related to oil cleaning work and a mid- and long-term study of the oil exposure health effects with continuous monitoring should be done for the exposed residents in the affected area.
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Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by  - Cancer Incidence Trend in the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill Area, from 1999 to 2014: An Ecological Study
Kyung-Hwa Choi, Myung-Sook Park, Mina Ha, Jong-Il Hur, Hae-Kwan Cheong
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2018; 15(5): 1006. CrossRef - Inquiring into activist publics in chronic environmental issues: use of the mutual-gains approach for breaking a deadlock
Soojin Kim, Jeong-Nam Kim, Laishan Tam, Gwang Tae Kim
Journal of Public Affairs.2015; 15(4): 404. CrossRef - Community mental health status six months after the Sewol ferry disaster in Ansan, Korea
Hee Jung Yang, Hae Kwan Cheong, Bo Youl Choi, Min-Ho Shin, Hyeon Woo Yim, Dong-Hyun Kim, Gawon Kim, Soon Young Lee
Epidemiology and Health.2015; 37: e2015046. CrossRef - Disaster management from the perspective of governance: case study of the Hebei Spirit oil spill
JoonâYoung Hur
Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal.2012; 21(3): 288. CrossRef - Psychological Health in Residents Participating in Clean-up Works of Hebei Spirit Oil Spill
Minkyo Song, Yun-Chul Hong, Hae-Kwan Cheong, Mina Ha, Hojang Kwon, Eun-Hee Ha, Yeyong Choi, Woo-Chul Jeong, Jongil Hur, Seung-Min Lee, Eun-Jung Kim
Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.2009; 42(2): 82. CrossRef
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Occupational Cancer Surveillance System Using Data Linkage Analysis in Korea.
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Sang Yun Lee, Jaiyong Kim, Seongwoo Choi, Hyungjun Im, Kijung Yoon, Ho Jang Kwon, Soo Hun Cho, Daehee Kang
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Korean J Epidemiol. 1999;21(2):276-282.
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To develop the occupational cancer surveillance system in Korea, data linkage analysis was performed on the subjects of Health-monitoring-pocketbook (the list of subjects who were exposed to selected occupational carcinogens) and the retired workers of a cokes manufacturing factory using the Korean medical insurance data, Korean death certificate data and Korean cancer registry data.
Study subjects comprised the 822 retired subjects and the 3101 present-post subjects of Health-monitoring-pocketbook and the 182 retired workers of a cokes manufacturing factory. The incidence of cancer of these study subjects was ascertained by linkage of Korean medical insurance data of year 1995-6, Korean death certificate data of year 1992-8 and Korean cancer registry data of year 1993-5.
In the study subjects, Eighty seven percent were males and mean age was 39.3+/-8.9 year-old, Average work duration was 8.0+/-5.5 years. Chrome, asbestos and cokes were the most frequent exposed agents. In the study subjects, total 13 cancer cases were ascertained by data linkage analysis. In the ascertained cancer cases, 8 cases were male and 5 cases were female, and 7 cases were aged 40-49 yr, 5 cases were aged 50-59 yr and 1 cases were aged 30-39 yr. The commonest exposure agent in the ascertained cancer cases was asbestos and cokes. By the site of cancer, 3 stomach cancer cases, 2 hematopoietic cancer cases and 2 biliary tract cancer cases were ascertained.
The occupational cancer surveillance system using data linkage analysis on the workers exposed to hazardous agents was the most feasible and efficient method in Korea. And to do this, establishment of occupational history information in several disease registry database is needed with the effort of estimating the proper size of workers exposed hazardous agents.
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The Usefulness of the Secondary Database for Occupational Asthma Surveillance System in Korea.
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Hyungjune Im, Sungwoo Choi, Jaiyong Kim, Sang Yun Lee, Kijung Yoon, Youngju Lee, Ho Jang Kwon, Daehee Kang, Soo Hun Cho
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Korean J Epidemiol. 1999;21(2):266-275.
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Occupational asthma is defined as a disease that is characterized by airway narrowing and bronchial hyperresponsiveness caused by specific working environment.
It is estimated that occupational asthma cases in Korea have been underreported. This study, using Korean Medical Insurance Data(KMID), examined the distribution of asthma patients' occupations and the frequency of high risk occupations for occupational asthma in Seoul, Korea to evaluate the usefulness of the KMID data as a database for active occupational asthma surveillance system.
Six hundreds and forty two(30.7%) of 2093 patients who were finally chosen as a study population by using 1995-year KMID, were contacted by telephone. 296 persons(47.4%) of 642 patients replied that they were diagnosed as asthma. The occupations of 296 asthma patients were classified by Korean standardized industrial classfication (KSIC). The most common occupations included Wholesale and Retail trade(19.5%), Real estate, Renting and Business activities(14.9%), Construction(14.9%), Manufacturing(12.3%). Forty(13.5%) of 296 patients who could be classified by KSIC were working at high risk jobs for occupational asthma.
KMID could be used as a useful data for occupational asthma surveillance system if the limitations of KMID, which is the accuracy of diagnosis, data accessibility, difficulty of following up study subjects, would be solved. The prevalence of occupational asthma could be estimated if the follow-up study diagnosing occupational asthma for asthma patients working in high risk jobs would be held.
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